Heartstopper Oneshots

Panic

This was a request by Teagiw 

Nick had math. Ew. It was impossible to focus, all the numbers blurring together. He carried the three... no, the six... wait, that was wrong... fuck. He skipped the question; maybe he could do the next one? It went on like that for the entirety of the class. He tried the question, failed the question, and skipped the question. The majority of the questions went undone, and Nick was pretty sure at least half a dozen of the ones he did do were wrong. Charlie had band practice, too, so he couldn't ask him for help. He usually understood the questions if Charlie explained. There was just something about the teacher's explanation that didn't stick with Nick. Maybe it was just because he was paying more attention to Charlie... 

The class went by slowly and painfully, and by the end, Nick was about ready to die. He made his way out the classroom door for lunch break. He was going to be meeting Charlie in the Art Room. The corridors were jammed with people, laughing and whispering. Some were storming out of the school... Huh. alright. Nick took a turn to the left; he was not going through that crowd. The route that he had taken was far less crowded and he didn't have to force his way through anyone. 

Nick is usually the first to reach the Art Room, but since his class was on the opposite side of the school, Charlie wasn't surprised that he had been first this time. Mr. Ajayi was cleaning up supplies from the previous class while Charlie was picking at his food. Mr. Ajayi closed the door to the Art Room.

"By the way, Charlie, the fire alarm's going to go off in a second, so don't panic. It's just a drill," he said calmly while stuffing paint brushes into a drawer. Charlie looked up from his food. "Oh. Thank you." He was really looking forward to eating lunch with Nick, but that'll have to wait, then. Charlie was right about to pull out his phone to text Nick that he shouldn't come when he realized he'd left his phone in his locker... and then the alarm went.

Charlie and Mr. Ajayi leave through the emergency door calmly as the alarm message plays on the speakers. "Important message. Important message. Fire has been reported in the building. Please exit the building immediately." Charlie had taken his jacket on the way out, but the harsh cold of december still froze him to the bones.

Nick was almost at the Art Room when the alarm had gone. He tried to leave through the fire exit, but a bustling crowd of scared students engulfed him. The crowd was pushing and shoving him as they went and Nick kept tripping. He couldn't tell left from right anymore. A passing student elbowed him in the ribs. Nick lost his footing and almost fell to the ground. He couldn't hear his own thoughts due to the yells of the students and the piercing beep of the fire alarm and the thumping in his ears from his own speeding heartbeat. fuck. Charlie, he thought. Was Charlie okay? What if the fire started in the Art Room? What if Charlie was panicking? Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... He needs to go find him. 

He tries to move against the current of the crowd but he just kept tripping on his own feet. His knees began to feel weak and he was swept outside with the crowd. Nick's hands were shaking yet the only thing he could think about was Charlie. He looked out over the crowd to try to spot Charlie, but he was nowhere to be found. He must be at the fire exit by the Art Room, he realized. now that the crowd wasn't moving as frantically, it was easier to squeeze through. Nick was hyperventilating now and he felt a bit lightheaded. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and it was difficult to think straight. Nick forced his way through the crowd, determined to find Charlie and make sure he was okay. 

As Nick stumbled through the swarm of bodies that surrounded him, he blinked a few times to ward off the claustrophobia. Nick felt a cold sweat form on his face. He fell back into the middle of the crowd again as they moved further from the school. Nick tried to focus on his breathing but he couldn't because of the people who were shoving him around in their hurry to get away from the supposed fire.

Charlie and Mr. Ajayi made their way to the main crowd for line-up. Charlie searched the crowd for Nick's freckled face and spotted him. He seemed to be swaying a little, slightly hunched over. Charlie's pace quickened when he got a good look at Nick's sickly-pale face. he started to jog, the worry in his chest growing. Oh crap. Charlie reached the crowd and pulled Nick out. Nick staggered as he fell through the crowd. By the time he had regained his balance, he was still breathing heavily as his hands shook. His eyesight focused and he saw Charlie. Relief coursed through his body as he cupped Charlie's face in his hands. 

"Oh thank god, you're okay..." Nick muttered before he buried his head in Charlie's shoulder and let out a sigh. His chest was still heaving. He could hear Charlie tell him that everything was alright, that he's okay, but Nick couldn't focus on anything but the relief of Charlie's presence. Nick wrapped his arms around Charlie and held him tight. 

"It's okay, i'm okay. Just breathe." Charlie said softly. Charlie felt Nick pull him closer as his face fell onto his shoulder. He stopped talking and just held Nick back, matching Nick's comfort. They stood like that for about a minute before Nick felt the blood return to his face and his breathing steady. Charlie rubbed his back, and Nick's arms fell to his sides. He let out another sigh, this time calmer than the last. Nick closed his eyes for a moment, exhausted from the panic, yet relieved at the knowledge that Charlie was okay.